Value of Ultrasonagraphy in Diagnosis of Laryngeal Lesions

Abstract

Objective: Evaluate the value of high-resolution ultrasonography (HRUS) in diagnosis of various laryngeal lesions. Method: A prospective study done from March 2010 to July 2011 on 66 patients suffering from voice changes, pre-examined by rigid endoscopy and diagnosed to have a laryngeal lesion, and 32 volunteers composed the control group. All 98 persons (patients and control groups) were examined by HRUS. Results: HRUS was helpful in describing various laryngeal lesions as vocal cord nodules (13) 19.6%, vocal cord polyps (17) 25.7%, epiglottal enlargement (2) 3.03%, and vocal cord mass (6) 9.09%. It was highly significant in diagnosis of early subglottic lesions—(10) 15.2%—that were missed by rigid endoscopy. Also, vocal cords mobility can be demonstrated by HRUS. However, interarytenoid edema (18) 27.3% was difficult to detect. Conclusion: Rigid endoscopy is difficult to diagnose laryngeal lesions in patients with sensitive gag reflex, neck or jaw diseases, and stridor and in infants. HRUS is an alternative method in diagnosis of some laryngeal lesions in these patients, and it is superior in the diagnosis of small subglottic lesions.